Spencer, Indiana, USA

Defining Main Street: The Barbershop. Every Main Street has (or had) a barbershop, but they don't all look alike. This one seems to have been custom-built in a vacant lot between brick buildings. Maybe you would like to stop for a haircut and meet one of the barbers who works here, in Spencer, Indiana. [2017]

Farmland, Indiana, USA

Welcome to cognitive dissonance. Farmland is located in the North American Corn Belt. But, the grain elevator rising above Main Street just screams Wheat Belt, and the mural suggests there might just be a Tomato Belt somewhere nearby. [2018]

Dana, Indiana, USA

The giraffe is obviously the town's spirit animal, and just as obviously provides a corporeal residence for the town's spirit of place. What lesson does the giraffe teach? Because they are so tall, giraffes can get a bird's-eye view of the big picture, even without being a bird. That's what we all need. It might just lift us all out of our petty little echo chambers. [2015]

Evansville, Indiana, USA

Joy to the world of Evansville, with its clear focus on the place name, which is written uphill. Graphologists tell us an uphill slant is a sign of optimism. Murals that boldly incorporate the town name into the visuals have become a hallmark of the 21st century. Another contemporary hallmark: muralizing a wall even if it has windows. [2022]

Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA

The Big Four Bridge (named in reference to four railroads) has been re-purposed for pedestrians and bicycles. It spans the Ohio River, a waterway prone to flooding. But, you knew that! You saw the flood wall. To protect Jeff, its gates can be closed when water rises. [2022]

Evansville, Indiana, USA

Unexpectedly Funny! Who do you think is going to be borrowing the books in this little free library? These libraries-in-a-box are usually placed closer to the souls to who still have the capacity to read, e.g., near churches, on town squares, or on court house lawns. Could this be the only one in a cemetery? [2022]

Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA

Outdoor dining, weather permitting, may be the urban equivalent of having a picnic in a bucolic woods. Does that make these parasols (call them umbrellas if you want) equivalent to a tree canopy? [2022]

New Harmony, Indiana, USA

When New Harmony was founded by the pietist Harmonites in 1814, they sought a location isolated from the world. And, isolated it remains, even to this day. That wasn't enough for the Harmonites, though. They abandoned the town a decade after they founded it. The so-called Harmonites appear to have been malcontents. [2022]

Corydon, Indiana, USA

Who stole the historical marker? Maybe, though, its absence is an opportunity. Let's get the high school history classes to write a new one. Then, have a competition to see which class does the best job. [2022]

Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA

The morning roundup seems to be going as usual. In this case, they are rounding up the e-scooters that litter the city from the day before. After an inspection, the scooters will be repositioned in situ or taken off to some other site. They are surely geo-tagged: for now just the scooters, in the future the workers. [2022]

Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA

It looks like he is droning on and on about his new toy, but his friends seem to be listening patiently. What is it that captures their attention? A drone, of course. And the riverfront in Jeff seems perfectly situated to offer them some birds eye views of the Ohio. [2022]

Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA

If steam could power trains, it could power boats as well. It could turn the paddlewheels and keep the Ohio River humming with activity, particularly as it flowed by Louisville and its cross-river neighbor, Jeffersonville. "Jeff" for short, at least recently. In the past, we used to call it "J-ville." [2022]

New Harmony, Indiana, USA

Window washing cranes have become almost ubiquitous. They are perfect for Main Street communities where the high-rises are not very high. Plus, they are useful for all kinds of building upkeep. And, it seems like everybody who walks by wants a ride. Compare with scaffolding. [2022]

Leavenworth, Indiana, USA

The Ohio River in Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, 3rd ed., 1997, p 861: "Navigable river in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh . . .; empties into Mississippi River at Cairo, S extremity of Illinois; 975 mi." This is Horseshoe Bend. [2022]

Madison, Indiana, USA

Upstream from Madison on the Ohio River is Cincinnati. Downstream is Louisville. All three cities were founded within a decade or two of 1800. Why did Cincinnati and Louisville grow into national metropolises while Madison shrank from history (even though it was one of the 100 largest cities in the country by 1850)? Think: transportation geography. [2022]

Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA

And then there were four! According to ancient Greek science, four elements constituted the building blocks of the world: earth, air, fire, water. Which one of those ducklings has the personality of earth? of air? of fire? of water? As they learn to fly and take on personalities of their own, they will be the building blocks of future worlds! [2022]

Darmstadt, Indiana, USA

Another gift of God arrived today. Will his contribution to the world be in the arts or the sciences? If the arts, Nobel laureate in literature Bertrand Russell will be his role model. If the sciences, it will be seismologist Harry Fielding Reid who established that earthquakes result from slippage along geologic faults. Both were born on May 18. [2022]

Georgetown, Indiana, USA

The new year begins a week after Christmas. It should begin a week after Easter. And, if it began even later, in May for instance, all of nature's decorations would be ready for the celebration of new life. For some, though, the new year – the first year – will begin soon. [2022]

Corydon, Indiana, USA

Blue River Chapel identifies with no denomination, and services are limited to Sunday evenings. Given its wilderness-like location and cul-de-sac access, few people attend. Still, it does one thing of mega-importance for the community: It hosts a prosperous-looking and well-cared for cemetery. Kudos to Blue River Chapel. [2022]

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Re-gilding the eagle begins tomorrow. Let's hope the last four years of lies, hate, perfidy, and sedition are an aberration in American history. And, let's remember that re-gilding begins at home, with each and every one of us. This American eagle watches over the Indiana state capitol. [2018]